


Desperate Times

by kankokujinpoi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Can you tell I'm rusty, Everyone is probably ooc, Gen, I'm trying, It's been like two years, M/M, Please be gentle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 00:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15473118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kankokujinpoi/pseuds/kankokujinpoi
Summary: In which Yaku asks Kuroo for advice.





	Desperate Times

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a very long time since I've posted/written anything... Please bear with me while I try to get my footing again.   
> This piece can be seen as a companion piece to my previous work Love Equation.   
> I've been reading a lot of Yaku/Lev and thought that this works well with Love Equation's premise. You won't really be missing anything if you haven't read that one, though.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Yaku Morisuke is a desperate man. 

He wasn’t sure a few weeks (see: months) ago what his problem was, but after some extensive research he’s found his answer. The dictionary definition of the word reads as follows: feeling, showing, or involving a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with. Countless lists of pros and cons, Yaku is convinced without a doubt, he is desperate. 

“And that’s when I realized that Tsukishima was right, I really do like almonds better than walnuts!” Kuroo finishes telling Yaku and Kai as he unlocks the gym. 

Kai smiles and nods as he makes his way into the gym while Yaku remains silent. He’s ignored all of Kuroo’s stories this morning. Although, to be fair, he ignores Kuroo’s stories almost every morning. It’s nothing against Kuroo, though. The two might have started their friendship lacking the ‘friend’ portion, but over the years Yaku and Kuroo have spent too much time together to not consider themselves friends. 

It’s just that Kuroo has a certain way of telling stories. Before he starts a story, he’ll drop the premise like a teaser to a movie. “Did I ever tell you about the time I caught a catfish in the river?” or “So something weird happened in Calculus today” Piques your interest. And Yaku’s interest used to pique. However, once he knows you’re invested, Kuroo doesn’t just start from the beginning, he starts from the beginning of the beginning. The first inkling of thought. The origin. Whatever you want to call it, Kuroo probably starts his story before it. 

“Well it all started when I read an article in secondary school about the differences between river fish and ocean fish” 

“So, while getting ready to go to bed the night before, I remembered that our Calculus teacher said he’d be out that day”

Yaku has sat through many beginnings with Kuroo. By the time Kuroo gets to the climax of his story, hell, by the time he makes it to the rising action he’s exhausted Yaku’s interest in the story. That’s why Yaku has learned to pick and choose what stories are really worth his time. Although, it’s quite difficult for Yaku to find interest in any of Kuroo’s stories. 

But, today is different.

No, Yaku is saving all of his story listening for a specific story, today. He actually wants to hear a story from Kuroo. 

This is how Yaku knows he is a desperate person. 

“So, when Tsukishima finally video chats me he—"

“Say, Kuroo,” Yaku interrupts Kuroo’s (third) story of the day. 

Both Kai and Kuroo turn around to face Yaku, “Yakkun?” Kuroo responds.

“How did…” Yaku almost chickens out, but notices Kuroo’s signature smirk forming on his lips. Once he notices Kai’s matching smirk he knows there’s no point in holding it in, “how did you confess to Tsukishima-kun?”

“Ahh, the story of how we came to be!” Kuroo says with a softer smile as he starts helping Kai put up the volleyball nets for practice. It’s no secret the Nekoma captain and Karasuno’s first year are seeing each other. Most than half of Kuroo’s morning stories involve the blonde. 

Surprisingly, there’s no follow up to Kuroo’s comment until the gym is set up completely. The first and second years will be arriving any minute, now. Yaku’s time is almost up.   
Silence in the morning is usually welcomed, but this time it’s killing Yaku. The three sit in silence while lacing up their shoes. 

“Math.”

Yaku looks up from his left shoe, “Math? What do you mean?”

Kuroo shrugs. 

“That’s all you’re going to give me, math?”

“Talk about unhelpful, Kuroo.”

“Kai’s right. Give me something.” 

Kuroo scratches the back of his head and looks off to the side, aloof as ever, “I asked him through a math equation.”

This time Kai and Yaku are silent. Only for a beat. Then the two are laughing.

“You really are a nerd, aren’t you?”

As much as Yaku enjoys laughing at Kuroo’s expense, he knows desperation has no limits.

And don’t forget, Yaku is desperate.

“I have a feeling Tsukishima-kun is a bit smarter than my first year…” Yaku admits. 

Kuroo and Kai exchange a look. The two finally understanding how desperate Yaku is. 

“If it helps, Tsukishima really didn’t understand. I had to practically spell it out for him.”

Yaku lets out a breath he doesn’t realize he’s been holding. Thankfully, Kuroo notices and indulges, “I kept sending him these equations that needed to be solved. Said I needed his help. He’d finish one and I’d send him another. Solve for X, right? First one, X equals W, next one I, and so on. I planned it out perfectly. Came up with all of the equations myself. Once my confession was spelled out, I waited to hear from him. To be honest I’m not sure why Tsukishima even went along with it. He knows we’re in college prep classes.”

Does Yaku sense unease in Kuroo’s voice? This is something new. 

“You know, just thinking about it kind of makes me cringe in embarrassment.”

What’s this? Shameless Kuroo showing shame? No wonder he’s been so quiet on the matter. Yaku figured he and Kai would have known Tsukishima’s blood type by now. Seeing Kuroo flustered does little to ease Yaku’s desperation. Heightens it, really. 

“So Tsukishima finally responds with something like ‘is that all?’ or something Tsukishima-like. By this time, I end up calling him because I have to face him at some point. I’m pretty nervous. I could barely keep the phone up to my ear! So I ask him what he thinks, thinking he’s put all of solutions together. He replies with ‘okay’ which again, is totally a Tsukishima response to me, no matter what the question. I’m elated. I start asking him when and where our first date is going to be, how I slaved over those personalized equations just to confess, how happy to know the feelings were mutual.”

Yaku feels himself cringe in second hand embarrassment for Kuroo. He also feels himself smiling a little too wide at Kuroo’’s story. Enjoying Kuroo’s animations a little too much.   
“There’s no response, so then I realize Tsukishima really didn’t get my message. Luckily, since I’m so calm and collected, I tell him to look back through his notes once more.”  
Something in Kurooo’s voice tells Yaku that Kuroo might not have been as calm and collected as he claims to be, but he lets it slide.

“He finally understands and in Tsukishima fashion tells me to take the train to Miyagi that Saturday. Darn punk drained me of all my birthday money on our first date.”

Then he hears Kuroo sigh. “But desperate times call for desperate measures, right Yaku?”

The first of the second years start trickling into the gym to begin practice. 

It’s Yaku’s turn to sigh. He finally got the story he wanted, but it doesn’t quite help him with his issue. There’s no way he could come up with math equations that the first year could solve. Of course Kuroo’s confession is as over the top as he is. There’s no way Yaku could pull something like that off. 

“Don’t worry Yakkun, I’ve thought about this and I know how you can ask out your own first year giant,” Kuroo begins, shameless as ever. 

Desperate Yaku takes the bait, there’s no use in acting shocked that Kuroo has him figured out. He’s running out of time. The first years are filing in. Lev will come running in soon. “Fine, tell me, hurry.”

“It all started when I noticed you might actually enjoy talking to Lev when you asked him about his Russian background. We were just finished with evening practice and you two were putting the brooms in—”

“Can you skip to the point of the story, Kuroo? I did say hurry, right?” Yaku’s patience is running out. He turns to Kai for verification, but the taller boy seems to think his right shoelace needs his full attention. 

“Geesh, always in a hurry, I’m doing you a favor you know. We both know you couldn’t pull this off alone. Here,” Kuroo hands Yaku a folded piece of paper. Where did he pull that from? Has he seriously been holding on to that at every practice waiting for Yaku to ask him for advice? How dramatic. Yaku unfolds the paper to see something written in Russian.   
“It’s your confession. Just give it to Lev and ask for his help translating it.”

“I don’t take Russian.” 

“Just tell him it’s for a history class or something. I can’t do all of the work, Yakkun.” At this point Kenma is trailing in with Lev not far behind. Yaku’s time is running out. He folds the paper and slips it in his shorts until the end of practice. 

Desperate times…

~

At the end of practice Yaku hands the paper to Lev in the changing room. Before Yaku can put his sorry plan in action, Lev unfolds the paper. 

“Yaku-san, what’s this?”

Yaku knows Lev isn’t the greatest with Russian, he’s counting on the fact that it’ll take some effort to decipher the message. He’s placing a lot of trust in what Kuroo has written. He could have just handed Lev a letter saying he loves to eat his own boogers and saves his toenails in a jar. Kuroo wouldn’t set Yaku up to fail, would he? It strikes Yaku just how desperate he is to place his full trust in Kuroo. Too late, now.

“I… I need you to translate this for me”

“Why?”

“For a class.”

“What class?”

“World History.”

“Why?”

“It’s… just an assignment.”

“Yaku-san, shouldn’t you be doing your own assignment?”

The color drains from Yaku as Lev just looks at him like a confused puppy. Head tilted, eyes concerned and focused on Yaku.

“I just need your help. It’s… it’s extra credit.”

“Yaku-san, I don’t think I should be doing an assignment for you, extra credit or not.”

“Lev, can you just translate the note?”

“I don’t know…you always told me that hard work pays off, I think you should do your own assignment, Yaku-san.”

Yaku’s patience is running thin again, “Lev, please. Just. Translate.”

“Doesn’t Kuroo-san take the same courses? Maybe he can help you,” Lev starts walking towards the door, trying to catch Kuroo and Kenma, “hey Kuroo-san! Can you—”

“You know what,” Yaku makes big strides to catch up to Lev. He rips the paper out of the taller boy’s hand, “you and I are going on a date this Friday after practice so bring casual clothes.”

“We are? That’s great, Yaku-san! I can’t wait!” Lev grabs his gym bag and runs out of the room, “Kuroo-san! Kenma-san! Yaku-san and I are going on a date! Finally! I thought he’d never ask! Thank you for your help, Kuroo-san!!”

Kuroo Tetsurou is a dead man.


End file.
